What are the social reasons for the rampant abuse of the elderly and handicapped in the United States?

Question

I grew up in England and have lived in many countries. However, I have never lived in any country except for the United States where report and incidence of abuse in hospitals and other such institutions, group homes, etc., of the elderly and disabled was so high. I am rather conscious of the issues from working on the boards of local and regional charities where I have lived who assist the disabled and elderly.

Now the facts go as follows. Disabled children in the United States alone are 3.4 times more likely to be abused or neglected. In a majour longitudinal study it was found that the mentally disabled are 3.8 times more likely to be neglected; 3.8 times more likely to be physically abused; 3.1 times more likely to be sexually abused and 3.9 more likely to be emotionally abused. Overall, 31% of the total disabled children in this research had been abused. Which is truly awesome as this is based off of only abuse and neglect that has been reported and the fact that neglect of the severely disabled projects upwards as age increases. It however has been purported that the rate of sexual abuse by the age 18 is closer to being analogous to the average women's sexual abuse statistic. The information about disability abuse and neglect is meager and best and subject to gross underestimates in statistical finding and projections.

In the case of the elderly, in the United States alone 1 to 2 million people age 65 and over have have been injured, exploited, or otherwise mistreated by someone on whom they depended for care or protection. Estimates of the frequency of elder abuse range from 2% to 20 based on various sampling,, survey methods, and case definitions. Data on elder abuse in domestic settings suggest that 1 in 14 incidents, excluding incidents of self-neglect, come to the attention of authorities. Current estimates put the overall reporting of financial exploitation at only 1 in 25 cases, suggesting that there may be at least 5 million financial abuse victims each year. Finally, it is estimated that for every one case of elder abuse, neglect, exploitation, or self-neglect reported to authorities, about five more go unreported.

So my question to you is why does the United States have so little respect for the human rights and dignity of the weak, ill, and elderly?  As well, why is so little done by the government and society in the United States to stem this unstable trend?

Anonymous · Accepted Answer

Reason is destruction of the family by US richclass. Not complex. See how family is destroyed in your US richclass ruled slave society. Elderly by all global tradition are revered and cared for by the family at home (see other cultures even today). But US richclass legal industrial complex will have none of that... If they no longer enrich the rich, they have no human value. Culture is murdered in US richclass ruled USA.

US richclass corporate have US women somehow convinced that selling radios is more critical than nurturing human children within a home. Of course, the family is the most important thing in life and for a secure society, but you can no longer convince US mothers of this (not with US thieving corporate around, backed and prodded by thieving, kidnapping US richclass legal industrial complex).

I see the collapse of the American family for what it is -- US richclass slavery and abuse...

Equal pay is just a US richclass corporate scam to obtain more and more working class slaves - even if women. Once men give up half their salaries to give over to women, a man can no longer support a family. Women are then enslaved into working their entire lives, and no one tends the children and home any longer. Families fall apart from the neglect, and -- guess what? US richclass benefits financially from that, too - by further robbing working class…

So -- why is US richclass legal industry allowed to destroy US families for working class cash?

Your US richclass legal industrial complex will have any US wife on the block both sucked and suckered right into their "free" legal aid office -- and have her husband “hiring” a kidnapping, thieving US lawyer in five minutes (“opposing” lawyer - ha!). From then on, it'll be all the family assets, including the hostaged children, signed over to legal industry -- right over the pulpit of any kidnapping, thieving US “family” court judge.

Forget about any suggestion of family counseling, religious attendance, community support, extended family bridge-support, or any other well-known and proven family-healing remedy… The assets simply MUST go to US richclass legal industry. What does “slave” mean, anyway?

By now and these days, legal slave-runners have US citizenry so easily conditioned to signing over entire families and family estates to legal industry -- it’s like a working class ignoramus reflex.

US richclass legal industrial complex takes down profits increasing upwards of $100 billion in US (primarily working class) family assets annually (not counting the value of the children). Personally, I’ve never seen an easier gig. Kudos to the US plutocracy and their slaveholder genius.

[I guess you know that the vast majority of other countries don't even have "family" courts (divorce courts), and actually make effort to successfully hold their families together? No, I guess you don't know.]

SEE NEWS LINK: http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/40402307/ns/today-today_news/

“A family friend said the couple were estranged and the boys were with their father as part of court-ordered visitation.”

Anonymous · Answer

Well when people try to abuse people who are not elderly or handicapped, they usually get beat up.

Simple, you have a scum bag working in a hospital.  There are three rooms with people he has to go in and take care of.  One room has a old person, another room has a disabled person, and the third room have a physically fit person.  Now, if he decides to abuse that last person, even if that person can't give him a good, solid beating right then, soon as the patient recovers, the scum bag can expect a visit in the parking lot, and a painful encounter with a steel pipe.

Now why is the scum bag working in the hospital in the first place?  Taxes, government over regulations, minimum wage requirements, have pushed the hospital into hiring the cheapest labor available, which isn't always the best.  And if the scum bag belongs to a union, you ain't never getting rid of him.  These ain't the only reasons.  And I don't advocate doing away with all government regulations.  But common sense doesn't prevail.  Seems like the more government has gotten involved, the worse the situation has become.

That, and old people just suck.

Power · Answer

There are a lot of people in this country who say they are Christians to lable themselves trustworthy.  Now there are some really good Christians but most our crooks who don't believe in anything except getting whatever they can from others. They hate any minoriity, they hate anyone they can bully. 

Many people grow up with parents who have nothing to give them because they are so burned out trying to survive. Once George Bush said he thought it was great when a women sitting next to mentioned she had 2 or 3 jobs. You might be able to find that on youtube.com. 

So this country is very polorized. Many wealthy are greedy while the poor don't  know how to get out of their ruts. Many logical minded people who have a great structure in life do not understand their is a power in directed faith. They don't understand because they have never been desparate enough to have to use it to find out. 

So money appears to be the answer but faith can really change things for people. Those with all the money & a heart filled with hate are no happier than the poor. Oh, they have a false sense of happiness just like a drug addict who gets high & low. 

Balance is the key & those who are abused are all apart of this play.

Anonymous · Answer

It is terribly wrong and terribly sad.  Thank you for bringing this serious problem to our attention.

>> So my question to you is why does the United States have so little respect for the human rights and dignity of the weak, ill, and elderly?

This is a natural result of a for-profit medical system.  Plus, the corporate kissing Republicans preach disrespect toward others night and day, 24-7.

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Anonymous · Answer

The federal government during the Clinton days, The Customs office most of all, were the worst offenders when it comes to treating disabled workers, employees or QUALIFIED applicants, with dignity. I doubt Obami has cleaned house.

Anonymous · Answer

Privitization of institutions that cater to these populations bro.. so instead of professional care takers - you get some delenquent right out of high school for minimum wage taking care of granny.. Just wait till they cut medicare. you think it's bad now.. you haven't seen nothing yet budd.

toonistcar90 · Answer

The same reasons we have abortions, the Nazi's, I mean Progressives are out of control.

This is what the Government will take care of it attitude does. We don't need old folks homes and government to take care of our old. We need families who aren't scum bags.

The US Reports more ugly treatment, doesn't mean there is more, just means we look to do something about it. Nothing about Britain is superior, quite the opposite.

Chris R:France Beat Mexico After · Answer

They are shoved in homes and the family doesn't visit them.  My aunt's mother has Alzheimer and she visits her mother almost every day to make sure she is well cared for.

*?* · Answer

MEDICARE. Government health care, that's why.

You won't see this problem in nursing homes that are being paid for with personal funds.

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What are the social reasons for the rampant abuse of the elderly and handicapped in the United States?

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